1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to wheelchairs and, more specifically, to convertible wheelchairs. All frame components are designed to accept parts for both the folding and rigid frame wheelchairs. Tubular components are designed to be easily attached to other members with the special connector fittings allowing for further conversion to other desirable designs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Two different methods have been used in the design and production of manual wheelchairs. The most common is the folding cross brace wheelchair. This design utilizes a welded cross brace mechanism, allowing the wheelchair to fold similar to a director's chair (from side to side). The main advantage of this method is that the wheelchair can be easily folded by most users. The disadvantage of this design is low energy efficiency due to its loose construction since a part of the energy used to propel the wheelchair is transferred to the frame rather than the wheels.
A second popular design is the rigid frame wheelchair. In this design the cross brace mechanism is replaced with tubular crossbars welded to the side frames of the wheelchair. The advantage of this design is its energy efficiency. However, this wheelchair does not fold as compactly as the cross brace chair for easy travel, storage or transportation.
The above-described designs have a problem in common--welded construction. The welded construction makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to adapt the wheelchair to the end user's changing needs and environment. Conversion from rigid frame to folding wheelchair is virtually impossible. In addition, welding creates a heat-affected zone weakening the frame tube around the welded joint, which is a main cause for structural failure in wheelchairs.
For the majority of wheelchair users it is necessary to have both wheelchairs--the rigid frame and the folding one. The folding wheelchair is more convenient for travel and indoor use, whereas the chair must be folded and stored. The rigid wheelchair is better suited for outdoors and a more active lifestyle. Unfortunately, it is not economically feasible for most users to own both wheelchairs.
Some wheelchair manufacturers build both folding and rigid frame chairs. There is a number of folding wheelchairs that use the conventional crossbrace design. Rigid chairs exist that are of a modular design and can change the width of the wheelchair with little difficulty. There is a design that converts from a user propelled to an assistant propelled wheelchair (U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,141). There is also a wheelchair that converts the riding position from the standard seating position to a recumbent position (U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,175). There is a weld-free folding wheelchair which folds in a non-conventional manner but is not convertible (U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,783). Another wheelchair design appears to be of a weld-free design that allows the wheelchair to adjust to different needs by use of special shaped bars and plates but is not a convertible wheelchair (U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,545). There are several U.S. patents that claim the chair to be modular, allowing for different components to be used to build the chair to the user's needs. Among these is a rigid frame wheelchair (U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,598), but again this wheelchair does not convert to folding. There are no wheelchairs known to exist at this time that can fully convert from a rigid frame to folding frame.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,888, issued to the assignee of the subject invention, a rigid frame weld-free wheelchair is disclosed that utilizes a series of special clamping members for clamping tubes to each other. However, such weld-free construction had some disadvantages. A series of specially designed clamps had to be utilized which were not universal to all designs, making further conversion and design changes virtually impossible. Also, by virtue of the clamp designs, numerous bolts were required that were clearly visible and detracted from the appearance of the wheelchair.
It is possible for one wheelchair to have all of the advantages of both the folding and the rigid chairs while eliminating the disadvantages of each.